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'Isidingo' gaffe costs the SABC R10000

The SABC has been fined R10000 for a bungle that sent hundreds, if not thousands, of infuriating telephone calls to an unsuspecting woman in Johannesburg.

Thapelo Diale's world was turned upside down when her cellphone started ringing non-stop and she was subjected to a torrent of verbal abuse from television soap opera fans.

The origin of her woes was traced back to the filming of an episode of Isigingo last year when Shona Ferguson, who plays the character of Tyson Mokoena, was asked by a director to come up with a cellphone number for another character.

There was no number in the script, so a random number was chosen - and read out during the episode that aired in November 2016. But in reality, that random number belonged to Diale, who works for a railway consortium.

The consequences were "unprecedented, extraordinary and serious", according to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of SA (BCCSA).

Her cellphone rang so much that it caused serious disruptions at work and eventually her employer served her with a letter of warning. Diale complained to the commission, saying that she had suffered emotional harm and verbal abuse from Isidingo fans.

The SABC was initially ordered to broadcast an apology but Diale lodged an appeal, saying that the broadcaster was getting away "with just a slap on the wrist".

The SABC told the commission that an apology would suffice. "Human beings drive the SABC and mistakes like these are bound to happen at some point," the broadcaster said.

In the end, SABC lawyers were instructed to write to Diale's employer and "explain the sequence of events and how this affected [her] work life" and request that her warning be rescinded. The SABC was also slapped with a R10000 fine to be paid before April 20.

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